Interval training
Interval training
I’ve got a good coach at Movistar and I spent a lot of time doing interval training.
It’s unpleasant but it’s got to be done. Interval training on the turbo trainer has become a lot more popular with professional riders as it allows you to really tap into specific training.
It used to be all about riding for five or six hours but now it’s a lot more specific.
For me it’s easy, because the time trial is what I do best and the time trial is something you can apply specific training to.
If I want to average 400 watts in a ten-mile time trial, say 20 minutes of riding give or take, then my training might be to push 450 watts for five minutes to build my threshold up, and then I will doing an effort at 350 watts for half-an-hour to push my endurance.
I do less hours on the bike than I used to. I rarely do 30 hours on the bike a week now but the intensity has gone up a lot more. I might do two hours on the turbo with intervals, then I might do two hours on the road as that’s the ride to the Blue Egg cafe in Braintree and back.
If anyone’s seen my Strava then all my road rides head in the same direction.
Working on your threshold is important for racing because when the shit hits the fan in a race or on a climb, you need to be able to put out a lot of power for a short amount of time, whether it’s 800 watts for 30 seconds or 300 watts for half-an-hour.
If you’re just going out and riding for five hours at 200 watts then come race time it’s going to be a shock to the system. It’s all about tailoring your training for the event you riding, whether it’s a WorldTour race or a sportive – it’s all about preparation.